Understanding Those Vintage BMW Motorcycle Model Numbers

I am no expert on BMW motorcycles – I will admit that right away, as I have never owned one personally.

That said, I have plenty of BMW motorcycle riding friends (fanatics) and have wanted one for a verylong time. In particular, I would like to get a vintage GS (1980-1997) and have been doing some research recently on vintage BMW motorcycle model numbers, in general.

BMW uses a sometimes systematic/sometimes unsystematic naming convention for their motorcycles that is pretty easy to follow and understand once laid out in front of you. Below is a basic breakdown for those who lack a fundamental understanding of what those BMW motorcycle model numbers mean. This list is by no means exhaustive as there were many side models and off-shoot iterations of bikes that BMW produced. This is meant as a general guide.

BMW likes to use straight numbers, dashes, and slashes instead of the colloquial names we are used to from the Japanese manufacturers.

–Prior to 1969: The naming convention wasn’t that systematic. The table below lays out the models that I am aware of, but keep in mind that there were many others. If you can get your hands on any one of these, don’t hesitate. The number after the R generally correlated with engine size. Those with a 2X are single cylinders, while the rest are generally the BMW twins we are accustomed to seeing.

Model Number

Years

R 32

1923-1926

R 37

1925-1926

R 39

1925-1927

R 42

1926-1928

R 47

1927-1928

R 52

1928-1929

R 57

1928-1930

R 62

1928-1929

R 63

1928-1929

R 11

1929-1934

R 16

1929-1934

R 2

1931-1936

R 4

1932-1937

R 12

1935-1942

R 17

1935-1937

R 3

1936

R 5

1936-1937

R 6

1937

R 35

1937-1940

R 20

1937-1938

R 23

1938-1940

R 51

1938-1940

R 61

1938-1941

R 66

1938-1941

R 71

1938-1941

R 75

1941-1944

R 24

1948-1950

R 25

1950-1951

R 51/2

1950-1951

R 25/2

1951-1953

R 51/3

1951-1954

R 67

1951

R 67/2

1952-1954

R 25/3

1953-1956

R 67/3

1955-1956

R 68

1952-1954

R 50

1955-1960

R 69

1955-1960

R 26

1956-1960

R 60

1956-1960

R 27

1960-1966

R 50 S

1960-1962

R 50/2

1960-1969

R 60/2

1960-1969

R 69 S

1960-1969

–1969-1983: Really the systematic naming convention began in the 1950’s and 1960’s with the /2 or “slash 2” bikes listed in the table above. This continued with /3, /4, /5, all the way up to the /7 in late 1970s. Like their predecessors, the first number after the R correlates with engine size, while the number after the slash corresponds to the generation or iteration of the motorcycle.

–Post 1983: This is when BMW started getting wild and crazy again with their motorcycle designations. They kept the R series, but also introduced the F, K, G, and HP2 series.

The bottom line to the story is that if you are in the market for a vintage BMW focus on the “slash” number – the lower the better. If size is important, there are generally R50, R60, R75, and R90 iterations of each generation with R90 being the largest displacement at 900cc.

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